-Down to Earth Russian invasion of Ukraine sharply altered the dynamics of coal trade, prices, supply and demand patterns  India, along with China, is the world’s largest coal producer, consumer and importer. Its own coal production will surpass a billion tonnes by 2025, the annual report of the International Energy Agency (IEA), predicted December 16, 2022. Also, India’s coal consumption has doubled since 2007 at an annual growth rate of 6 per cent....

-The Hindu How are other export-dominated countries faring? Why is the government optimistic that domestic demand will counter the effects of declining exports? The story so far: India’s exports declined about 16.7% in October compared with the year-earlier period. This is the first slide reported for any month since February 2021. October imports rose at a much milder pace than earlier, most likely because of softening commodity prices worldwide, and trade deficit...

-The Third Pole/ Scroll.in The dams the two countries are relying on may not be able to generate much power if avalanches, landslides and floods continue worsening. As glaciers shrink and monsoon rainfall becomes more unpredictable due to climate change, uncertainty around the viability of hydropower projects in the Hindu Kush Himalayas is increasing. A recent study on the state of a glacier on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau raises questions about the...

-Hindustan Times Retail inflation in November dipped below 6% for the first time in 11 months, beating analyst estimates, on the back of a sharp deceleration in food prices, especially of vegetables and edible oils, although a spike in cereal prices is a matter of concern. New Delhi: Retail inflation in November dipped below 6% for the first time in 11 months, beating analyst estimates, on the back of a sharp deceleration...

There is some respite expected for India in terms of prices of imported commodities. This may ease the depletion of its foreign exchange reserves. The country has faced a widening of its merchandise trade deficit from US$ -17.91 billion to US$ -26.91 billion between October 2021 and October 2022. The commodity price data provided by the World Bank in December 2022 (termed as The Pink Sheet) shows that energy prices plummeted by...